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Fault Current Limiters: Technologies, Applications and Field Experience

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "F: Electrical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 8900

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Bilbao, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain
Interests: power system analysis; modeling and simulation of renewable energy sources; high voltage engineering

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Guest Editor
Electrical Energy Systems Research Group (GISEL), Electrical Engineering Department, Bilbao School of Engineering, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain
Interests: power systems protection; renewable energy integration; HVDC systems
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With this Special Issue, we would like to draw special attention to fault current management techniques.

Fault current levels are enlarging as a result of the evolution of the power system. The power flows in transmission and distribution lines are increasing basically on account of the integration of new generation sources in addition to the demand rise. An appropriate management of those elevated fault currents is imperative for the correct and reliable operation of the power system.

Both conventional and innovative techniques for dealing with this challenge have been proposed in the literature and used on field. Among those preceding measures, lately fault current limiters (FCL) have arisen and currently, some technologies are already in pre-manufacturing stages. FCLs are considered as invisible during normal operation, and operate efficiently in case of fault with a very fast and effective fault current limitation. According to this potential, over the past years a number of groundbreaking projects have been launched. Therefore, technical details and operational experiences as well prospective feasibility studies are welcome in this Special Issue. Superconductivity based FCLs are of particular interest, due to the elevated level of development and diversity of applications.

Fault current limiting techniques must fit into the protection of forthcoming power systems. Therefore, this Special Issue covers -but it is not limited to- HVDC or hybrid AC/DC systems, as well as highly meshed grids. Incidentally, the protection of HVDC systems is a pending challenge on account of the demanding DC fault current interruption.

We encourage submissions in all degrees of detail, from simulation models to higher detailed models, such as FEM, or prototypes and field experience. We would like to extend the invitation to any interdisciplinary solution.

Dr. Agurtzane Etxegarai
Dr. D. Marene Larruskain
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • fault current
  • fault current limiter FCL
  • fault ride through FRT
  • solid state technology
  • superconductivity
  • hybrid technologies

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 5503 KiB  
Article
Analysis on DC Fault Current Limiting Operation of Twice-Quench Trigger Type SFCL Using Transformer Considering Magnetizing Current and Current Limiting Reactor
by Sung-Hun Lim, Min-Ki Park, Sung-Hoon Park and Jae-Woo Chung
Energies 2023, 16(17), 6299; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16176299 - 30 Aug 2023
Viewed by 900
Abstract
As the penetration of distributed energy resources (DER) has increased, research on direct current (DC) power transmission and distribution has been actively performed. The DC system has the advantage of high-power transmission efficiency. However, it has a very large and rapid increase in [...] Read more.
As the penetration of distributed energy resources (DER) has increased, research on direct current (DC) power transmission and distribution has been actively performed. The DC system has the advantage of high-power transmission efficiency. However, it has a very large and rapid increase in fault current in the DC system directly after a fault occurs. As one of the countermeasures, studies on the application of the superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) into the DC system have been conducted to protect major facilities from DC fault current, which is expected to alleviate the power burden on the DC circuit breaker through its quench operation. Among the studied DC SFCLs, the trigger-type DC SFCL using a transformer, which can achieve the peak DC fault current-limiting operation, has been suggested. However, the DC fault current-limiting operation, in the case of the DC SFCL with a current-limiting reactor (CLR), was analyzed to not be effectively executed in the steady state since the transient state directly follows the fault occurrence. In this paper, the DC fault current-limiting operation of a twice-quench trigger type SFCL using a transformer considering magnetizing current and its CLR was analyzed. Through DC fault current-limiting experiments according to the inductance of its current-limiting reactor (CLR), the effective current-limiting design of twice-quench trigger type SFCL using a transformer was described. Full article
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18 pages, 15174 KiB  
Article
Study on Malfunction of OCR Due to Penetration of DER into Power Distribution System with SFCL
by Min-Ki Park and Sung-Hun Lim
Energies 2023, 16(17), 6137; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16176137 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1194
Abstract
Due to the demand for eco-friendly energy, distributed energy resources (DERs) using renewable energy have increased. The increase in DER has caused the power system to become more complex and caused problems in the protection system. Typical problems include an increase in fault [...] Read more.
Due to the demand for eco-friendly energy, distributed energy resources (DERs) using renewable energy have increased. The increase in DER has caused the power system to become more complex and caused problems in the protection system. Typical problems include an increase in fault current and a problem that causes malfunction of the overcurrent relay (OCR). If the fault current increases and exceeds the capacity of the existing protection devices, it may lead to a large blackout. The most effective way to limit the fault current is to install a superconducting current limiter (SFCL). The installation of SFCL and system penetration of DER both affect OCR operating characteristics. In this paper, a simulated power distribution system is constructed and OCR malfunctions caused by DER penetration and SFCL installation are analyzed. Full article
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20 pages, 8268 KiB  
Article
The Structural and Electromagnetic Comparative Analysis of the Bifilar-Meander-Type Winding Method of Superconducting DC Circuit Breaker
by Sang-Yong Park, Geon-Woong Kim, Ji-Sol Jeong and Hyo-Sang Choi
Energies 2023, 16(4), 1866; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16041866 - 13 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1633
Abstract
As the utilization of DC systems increases worldwide, the importance of DC cutoff technology is increasing. We proposed a hybrid DC cutoff technology combining an SFCL (superconducting fault-current-limiter) and a mechanical DC circuit breaker. This model can perform a fault-current-limiting operation through the [...] Read more.
As the utilization of DC systems increases worldwide, the importance of DC cutoff technology is increasing. We proposed a hybrid DC cutoff technology combining an SFCL (superconducting fault-current-limiter) and a mechanical DC circuit breaker. This model can perform a fault-current-limiting operation through the quenching of the SFCL and a breaking operation through an artificial cutoff zero point of a mechanical DC circuit breaker. In particular, the SFCL is responsible for the growth of the initial fault current according to the DC characteristics. As the DC system’s supply and demand increase, the DC system’s capacity also increases. Therefore, the fault-current-limiting capability of the SFCL should be increased according to the increasing DC system breaking capacity. The fault-current-limiting capability can be increased by increasing the superconducting wires used in the SFCL. Current commercially available SFCLs use bifilar-helical-type and bifilar-spiral-type winding methods. These have the disadvantage of increased volume with increased capacity. To compensate for these disadvantages, we proposed a bifilar-meander-type winding method. In this paper, a new bifilar-meander-type winding method was introduced. In addition, the structural and electromagnetic parts of the existing winding method and the bifilar-meander-type winding method were compared and analyzed for differences. The program used for this analysis is the electromagnetic analysis Maxwell program. As a result, it was confirmed that the bifilar-meander-type winding method is superior to the conventional bifilar-helical and bifilar-spiral types. Full article
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20 pages, 7539 KiB  
Article
Modelling of Resistive Type Superconducting Fault Current Limiter for HVDC Grids
by Guillermo García, D. Marene Larruskain and Agurtzane Etxegarai
Energies 2022, 15(13), 4605; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15134605 - 23 Jun 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2584
Abstract
The protection of high voltage direct current (HVDC) grids is a challenge considering that the protection system must detect, locate, and interrupt large fault currents in a few milliseconds. Resistive type superconducting fault current limiters (R-SFCL) can help solve that difficult task, reducing [...] Read more.
The protection of high voltage direct current (HVDC) grids is a challenge considering that the protection system must detect, locate, and interrupt large fault currents in a few milliseconds. Resistive type superconducting fault current limiters (R-SFCL) can help solve that difficult task, reducing the extremely demanding ratings of HVDC circuit breakers. This paper presents different approaches to model R-SFCLs in order to analyze their suitability for assessing the performance of HVDC grid protection, including the step model, the exponential model, the RQ model, and the magneto-thermal model. In the first instance, the R-SFCL models are evaluated in a test grid to analyze their parameterisation and select the most adequate model for the study of HVDC grids. The RQ model is finally chosen for its simplicity but closer behavior to the magneto thermal model in terms of fault resistance dependency and resistance evolution curve. Then, the performance of an RQ type R-SFCL model in conjunction with a mechanical circuit breaker is evaluated in a multiterminal HVDC grid with different fault cases. This way, fault currents are greatly decreased as well as circuit breaker requirements. Hence, the R-SFCL under study enables a reliable protection of the HVDC grid. Full article
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15 pages, 4565 KiB  
Article
Development of Bus and Line Control Method for Short-Circuit Current Reduction Using Genetic Programming
by Dabin Son and Sangwook Han
Energies 2022, 15(3), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15030678 - 18 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1752
Abstract
In this study, genetic programming (GP) is used for optimizing bus and line separation methods to reduce the short-circuit current. Expanding power systems led to intensive electric power and more transmission lines, reducing the grid impedance. This increases the short-circuit currents that occur [...] Read more.
In this study, genetic programming (GP) is used for optimizing bus and line separation methods to reduce the short-circuit current. Expanding power systems led to intensive electric power and more transmission lines, reducing the grid impedance. This increases the short-circuit currents that occur during failure, and it is impossible to continue developing higher-capacity breakers to accommodate such short-circuit currents. Therefore, the short-circuit currents must be managed systematically through busbar separation and line separation. However, there are countless possible bus and line separation schemes for power systems. Furthermore, to comply with power-system reliability standards, no lines or transformers should be overloaded after such controls are applied. This paper proposes the use of GP to optimize the bus and line separation methods for obtaining a solution. The solutions are limited to methods that can be implemented in real power systems, reducing the convergence probability and optimization time. The proposed technique is useful for designing power systems with consideration of the short-circuit current. Full article
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